Eleven Defendants Indicted on Domestic Terrorism Charges

Group Allegedly Responsible for Series of Arsons in Western States,
Acting on Behalf of Extremist Movements

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Eleven defendants have been indicted on charges including
arson and destruction of an energy facility for allegedly participating in a
campaign of domestic terrorism in five western states on behalf of the
extremist Earth Liberation Front (ELF) and the Animal Liberation Front (ALF)
movements, the Justice Department announced today.

The 65-count indictment, returned by a federal grand jury in Eugene, Ore.,
Thursday, alleges that the defendants committed acts of domestic terrorism in
Oregon, Wyoming, Washington, California, and Colorado from 1996 through 2001.
Specifically, the indictment includes the charges of conspiracy to commit
arson; conspiracy; arson; attempted arson; use and possession of a destructive
device; and destruction of an energy facility.

Eight defendants were arrested prior to the indictment and three are believed
to be outside the United States.

The indictment alleges that the group committed arsons with improvised
incendiary devices made from milk jugs, petroleum products and homemade timers
in a series of attacks in the five states. The targets of these attacks
included U.S. Forest Service ranger stations, Bureau of Land Management wild
horse facilities, meat processing companies, lumber companies, a high-tension
power line, and a ski facility in Colorado. The indictment alleges that the
group claimed to be acting on behalf of ALF and ELF.

“The trail of destruction left by these defendants across the western United
States caused millions of dollars in damage to public and private facilities,”
said Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales. “Today’s indictment proves that we
will not tolerate any group that terrorizes the American people, no matter its
intentions or objectives.”

“Investigating and preventing animal rights and environmental extremism is one
of the FBI's highest domestic terrorism priorities,” said FBI Director Robert
Mueller. “We are committed to working with our partners to disrupt and
dismantle these movements, to protect our fellow citizens, and to bring to
justice those who commit crime and terrorism in the name of animal rights or
environmental issues.”

“To those who use arson and explosives to threaten lives and destroy property,
ATF will continue to dedicate all of our expertise to solve these crimes,” said
ATF Director Carl J. Truscott. “We will work relentlessly with our law
enforcement partners to find you and bring you to justice.”

According to the indictment, Joseph Dibee, Chelsea Dawn Gerlach, Sarah Kendall
Harvey, Daniel Gerard McGowan, Stanislas Gregory Meyerhoff, Josephine Sunshine
Overaker, Jonathan Mark Christopher Paul, Rebecca Rubin, Suzanne Savoie, Darren
Todd Thurston, and Kevin M. Tubbs conspired to commit numerous acts of domestic
terrorism as part of a group they called “the Family,” an alleged group of the
extremist movements ALF and ELF.
The indictment follows a series of arrests on Dec. 7, 2005, in Oregon,
Arizona, New York, and Virginia. Gerlach, Harvey, Meyerhoff, McGowan,
Thurston, and Tubbs were arrested at that time for various charges, including
the destruction of an energy facility. Paul was arrested on Jan. 17, 2006, on
a criminal complaint charging him with one of the arsons mentioned in the
indictment. Savoie was arrested on Jan. 19, 2006, on a criminal complaint.
Dibee, Overaker and Rubin are believed to be outside of the United States.

The indictment refers to attacks on 17 sites:

Oct. 28, 1996, at the U.S. Forest Service Detroit Ranger Station in Marion
County, Ore.;

Oct. 30, 1998, at the U.S. Forest Service Oakridge Ranger
Station in Lane County, Ore.;

July 21, 1997, at the Cavel West, Inc. meat packing company in
Deschutes County, Ore.;

Nov. 30, 1997, at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management Wild Horse and
Burro Facility in Harney County, Ore.;

June 21, 1997, at the U.S. Department of Agriculture National
Wildlife Facility in Olympia, Wash.;

Oct. 11, 1998, at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management Wild
Horse Holding Facility in Rock Springs, Wyo.;

Oct. 19, 1998, at the Vail Ski Facility in Vail, Colo.;

Dec. 27, 1998, at U.S. Forest Industries in Jackson County,
Ore.;

May 9, 1999, at Childers Meat Company in Lane County, Ore.;

Dec. 25, 1999, at the Boise Cascade office in Polk County, Ore.;

Dec. 30, 1999, at a Bonneville Power Administration
high-tension power line tower near Bend, Ore.;

Sept. 6, 2000, at the Eugene Police Department West University
Public Safety Station in Eugene, Ore.;

May 21, 2001, at the University of Washington Horticultural
Center in Seattle; and

Oct. 15, 2001, at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management Wild
Horse Facility in Litchfield, Calif.

An indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendants named in this
indictment are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The cases are being prosecuted by the office of the U.S. Attorney for the
District of Oregon. The cases are being investigated by the FBI and ATF, along
with the Eugene Police Department, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest
Service, Oregon State Police, Portland Police Bureau, Oregon Department of
Justice, and the Lane County Sheriff’s Office.